Massage fixture in particular for dry-shaving apparatus



April 18, 1967 Y T 5 3,314,418

MASSAGE FIXTURE IN PARTICULAR FOR DRY-SHAVING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 4,1963 INVENTOR.

KAREL Ni. TIEMES GEN United States Patent Ofificc 3,314,418 MASSAGEFIXTURE IN PARTICULAR FOR DRY-SHAVlNG APPARATUS Karel Martin Tiemes,Drachten, Netherlands, assignor to North American Philips Company, Inc.,New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 4, 1963, Ser. No.321,242 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Nov. 28, 1962, 286,0731 Claim. (Cl. 128-36) The invention relates to a massage fixture for anapparatus housing having a shaft which is driven by a motor, inparticular of a dry-shaving apparatus, which fixture is provided withmeans for connecting massage members to the apparatus and with a'memberwhich can be coupled to the motor of the apparatus and causes themassage member to be vibrated.

It is known to use such fixtures as intermediate members between thehousing which comprises the driving motor and the actual massagemembers. Such massage members which are of different types and shapes,can then be connected detachably, for example, in a projecting stump ofthe fixture which for that purpose is provided with a bore which hasscrew thread.

As is normal in dry-shaving apparatus, the housing in such apparatus,which comprises the motor, also forms the grip for the opera-tion andthe housing generally is given a shape so that it can be readily held inthe hand.

It is known to cause massage members to be vibrated with a highfrequency directly by a vibration generator located in the housing, ifdesired through an intermediate driving arm. It is also known to vibratethe fixture itself through a vibrating part from a rotating motor with,for example, 8 to 9000 rpm.

It is an object of the invention to render the effect of the vibrationon the massage member as large as possible and the damping by holdingthe housing in the hand as small as possible.

The invention is characterized in that the member in the fixture whichcan be coupled to the motor is formed by a shaft which extends throughthe fixture in the longitudinal direction and is pivotally journalled,the end of which facing the apparatus housing being constructed as acoupling member with the shaft driven in the apparatus housing by themotor, the other end in the head of the fixture carrying an eccentricvibrating body.

In this manner a strong vibration is obtained exactly in the head of thefixture, so as far remote as possible from the part of the apparatushousing which is held in the hand. As a result of this arrangement, thevibration is not only very powerful but also very effectivelytransmitted to the massage members which can be connected to the head ofthe fixture. In addition, the vibration in the hand is restricted,because the play of forces and reaction by the massage members mainlyoccurs in an area which is restricted to the end of the fixture, as aresult of which the annoying vibration of the housing of the apparatusin the hand is restricted and also the damping by the hand is small sothat consequently the energy substantially benefits the massage effect.

This is the case in particular in an embodiment which is 3 ,3 14,4 1 8Patented Apr. 18, -1 967 characterized in that at the level of themassage member the side of the fixture is provided with a connectionstump for a massage member so that the energy in the plane of vibrationof the massage member is transmitted as directly as possible to themassage member.

For mass-production assembly a simple and inexpensive construction isobtained in an embodiment which is characterized in that in the hollowcap a sleeve is connected, for example by screw thread, in which theshaft is journalled centrally which carries an eccentric vibrating bodyin the cap chamber over the sleeve, the other end of the cap beingprovided with a collar for the connection to the housing of theapparatus.

In order that the invention may readily be carried into effect, anembodiment thereof will now be described more fully, by way of example,with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1diagrammatically shows a longitudinal section through the central axisof an embodiment of a fixture according to the invention provided with amassage member.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of another massage memher.

The assembly of the cap-shaped fixture is indicated by 1 and theconnection member formed by a collar by 2. The latter is provided at itscircumference with a ribbed edge 3 and with internal screw thread 4 withwhich the collar can be screwed to an upright edge of the housing of themotor which is provided with external screw thread.

It may be seen in the figure that the fixture comprises a laterallyprojecting stump 5 with a bore 6 with a screw thread in which the stem 7of a massage brush 8 is screwed on the stump 5. The massage member shownin FIG. 2 is formed by a rubber-like block 9 in a holder 10 providedwith an end 11 which can be screwed in the chamber 6.

The fixture comprises a central spindle 12, the lower end of whichcomprises a slot 13 for effecting a coupling to the rotating spindle ofthe apparatus motor when the fixture is connected to the dry-shavingapparatus. On the other end of the spindle 12 an eccentric vibratingbody -14 is provided.

The central shaft of the spindle 12 is journalled in metal bearings 15and 16 which are included in a sleeve 17 which, as well as the cap 1,may consist of synthetic material. The sleeve 17 is screwed in thehollow cap-shaped fixture 1 by means of screw thread 18 until the rib 19engages a shoulder in the cap. For the rotatable enclosure of the shaft12 at the upper end a bearing disc 21 is provided in the head 20 of thefixture.

The vibrating body 14 consists of iron or a heavy alloy. It is clearthat the shaft of the massage member 8 is in the area of the largestvibration amplitude and the energy is transmitted to the massage memberin the most effective manner.

What is claimed is:

A vibrating massage device adapted for coupling to a rotating driveshaft of an electric motor positioned in a housing comprising a hollow,round cap, a sleeve located in said cap, a rod journalled in said sleeveand extending along the longitudinal axis of said cap, one end of saidrod being adapted for coupling to said rotating drive shaft and theother end of said rod being provided with an eccentric weight thatprovides vibration for said massage device, said cap having an internalshoulder and said sleeve being provided with a rib which isscrewconnected to the interior of said cap whereby when said sleeve isscrewed a certain distance in said cap said rib engages said internalshoulder to form a stop for the further upward movement of said sleeve,said other end of said rod also having a bearing member mounted in theupper portion of said cap for maintaining said rod substantiallyvertical in said housing, and said cap being prov 4 r vided with acollar at the bottom thereof having means for removable connection tosaid housing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,301,866 4/1919Moore 12835 1,413,515 4/1922 Campbell 12832 X 3,183,538 5/1965 Hubner15-22 m RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

L. W. TRAPP, Assistant Examiner.

